Ecosystem Health and Sustainable Communities: North and South

Abstract

ABSTRACT It is at the local/community level that the connections among ecosystem health, the health of human communities, and individual livelihoods are most apparent and critical. This paper reports a number of community initiatives aimed at improving or providing alternative livelihoods, while at the same time conserving or restoring the integrity of the ecosystem on which the community depends. It presents case studies of Zimbabwe’s CAMPFIRE (Communal Areas Management Program for Indigenous Resources) and Akwesasne in northeastern North America, as well as examples from northern Canada, of communities that have attempted to integrate economic development, community values/culture, and the restoration of ecosystem and community health. In both the north and the south these communities face ecological pressures such as climate change, industrial pollution, loss of diversity and productivity, deforestation, and resulting loss of traditional livelihood strategies. They are also victims of global economic forces, economic and institutional globalization, and are struggling to make adaptive responses. Common themes are identified across the case studies and we identify the need for indicators and programs that recognize and reinforce the interconnections and guide development programs that integrate community and ecosystem health and sustainability.